1930s slang from the hardboiled detectives

The words

Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon put the speech of private eyes, cops and gunmen on the page.

the bulls“It’s those damned bulls again. They’re getting to be nuisances.” (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

The police; detectives.

bumped offSomething Thursby was supposed to have on him when he was bumped off. (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

Murdered.

fall-guy“We’ve got to have a fall-guy.” (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

Someone made to take the blame for a crime.

sap“Don’t be a sap, Dundy.” (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

A fool; someone easily taken in.

dope“Can you give me some dope on an ex-guest?” (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

Information; the facts about someone.

to pinch“You’re not ready to pinch me yet, are you, Dundy?” (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

To arrest.

heater“Get up on your feet and go for your heater!” (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

A gun.

gunsel“Keep that gunsel away from me while you’re making up your mind.” (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

Taken by readers to mean a young gunman, which is how it has been used since. In the underworld it had meant a young man kept by an older one.

punk“Let’s give them the punk.” (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

A young hoodlum; a worthless kid.

dick“You’d think you wasn’t a dick yourself the way you bellyache over things.” (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

A detective.

copper“It’s no crime to kid a copper, is it?” (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

A police officer.

on the level“You’re not so damned honest, and you haven’t been so much on the level with her, that she should trust you completely.” (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

Honest; straight with someone.

chumpAnd once a chump, always a chump. (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

A fool; someone easily taken in.

dough“That’s a hell of a lot of dough.” (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

Money.

hooey“Well, it was hooey.” (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

Nonsense; a lie.

racket“What’s his racket?” (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

A line of work, usually a shady one.

to tail“Why were you tailing him?” (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

To follow someone without being noticed.

come clean“Come clean. You know I’ll keep my clam shut …” (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

To tell the whole truth.

to squawk“I won’t squawk—if you’ve got a search-warrant.” (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

To complain loudly; to make a fuss.

the works“You didn’t try to make a deal with him before you gave him the works?” (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

The full treatment. From a crook, a killing.

How people cursed, and the softer words they said instead, from the same dated sources.

by guess and by God“It’s just what I told you: you’re fumbling along by guess and by God.” (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

Blindly, on luck and hope, with no plan at all.

the hell you don’tTom said softly: “The hell you don’t.” (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

Flat disbelief: you certainly do.

I’m damned if I will“No, I’m damned if I will.” (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

A flat, angry refusal.

Jesus“Jesus, these women!” (Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, 1930)

An exasperated oath, said mildly.

What had just arrived, what was still recent, and what a scene set in these years can't have yet. Each entry names the source that records its date, with a link to it. Dates are for the United States unless an entry says otherwise.